Track 27 Christmas with Claire
by ronniekins77
Summary: Charlie and Claire spend Christmas on the island.


**A/N:** Written in Dec. of 2006, before Charlie's sad passing. I miss him so much on the show.

--

Claire sits in front of the church, rocking Aaron back and forth in her arms, humming to him softly. "He's making a list, he's checking it twice, he's gonna find out who's naughty and nice - "

Aaron giggles in response.

"You like that, don't you? Don't you?" she coos to him.

"Merry Christmas, honey," says a voice and Claire looks beside her to see Rose and Bernard.

"Merry Christmas," says Claire as they sit down next to her. "Where is everybody else?"

"Oh," says Rose, smiling, "Charlie's yelling at them all to come into the church. He's a little...excited, I think."

"He nearly had a heart attack when he saw that Sawyer was still sleeping," adds Bernard, looking amused.

Claire nods knowingly. "He just wants this Christmas to be perfect."

Charlie had confessed to Claire a couple of nights ago as they sat by the fire that Christmas had not always been a happy time for him. His Christmases as a boy were spent gazing longingly at his brother Liam, who always seemed to have more presents than he did; his Christmases as an adult were spent stumbling around town trying to get a fix.

Claire has to smile at how Charlie has been acting for the last couple of days: gathering mangoes to make fruit baskets, going round to people asking them their favorite Christmas carols, assembling a group of people to catch clams and extract the pearls from them to serve as presents for the "ladies of the island", and even going as far as to sort through some of the shirts no one would wear, tear them to shreds, and start patching together Christmas stockings.

Just then Charlie walks into the church, a guitar in his hand and a disgruntled Sawyer beside him, followed by most everyone on the island. Claire watches as some of them look around at the church admiringly - Charlie had finished building it himself and had made sure that no one saw the inside of it before Christmas. It was his gift to the island, he had said.

That afternoon is spent singing carols, reading different passages from Eko's Bible, and praying that they all manage to get along for one day. Claire notices that Charlie throws a furtive look at Jack, who is glaring at Sawyer, and Kate, who is glaring at Juliet.

Claire, however, hasn't felt this content in a long time and tells Charlie so when everyone leaves the church later and they are the only two left inside. Charlie grins that adorable grin of his and Claire returns it. Then Charlie stands up quickly and says, "I have a present for you!" He runs out of the church before Claire can say a word and when he returns, his hands are held behind his back and a shy look is on his face.

"What is it?" squeals Claire.

Charlie sits down next to her and suddenly looks nervous. "It's really stupid...but I, well, I thought you should have it," he says.

Claire simply says, "Okay" and waits expectantly.

Charlie sighs, a well-alright-but-don't-say-I-didn't-warn-you type of sigh and produces from behind his back his black hoodie.

Claire lets out a little gasp. She knows how important this hoodie is to Charlie, that it has been his only comfort here on the island, the one thing he clings to the most. And now he is giving it to her, as if it doesn't even matter anymore. "Oh, Charlie," she breathes, "thank you."

"Welcome," says Charlie, that adorably shy look on his face once more.

"I actually have a gift for you too, but it's _really_ stupid," she says. "Can you hold Aaron?"

"Yeah," he says, extending his arms.

When Aaron is settled comfortably in his arms, Claire reaches beneath her chair and picks up her diary. She opens it to a page and reads aloud:

"C - caring  
H - helpful  
A - always there for me  
R - respectful  
L - loyal  
I - I can't imagine anyone  
E - else I'd rather be...

...with," she finishes awkwardly, biting her lip. "Sorry it doesn't rhyme. And sorry it's an acrostic." She gives him a regretful look. "I always was bad at poetry."

"Bad?" says Charlie incredulously, looking up at her, "that was brilliant!"

"Yeah? It was okay?"

"More than okay!" says Charlie, grinning from ear to ear. "It was perfect!" He kisses Aaron and asks him, "Wasn't it perfect, little guy?" Aaron lets out a happy shriek. Charlie looks back up at Claire. "I think I'll even include it in my next song on the record 'Island Tunes'!" He laughs, and then his features fall into a more serious expression. Thanks, Claire."

Claire flushes a little, then leans over to kiss him sweetly on the lips.

"Merry Christmas, Charlie," she says softly.

--

**A/N:** I know this is ridiculously cute and fluffy, but I feel like that's just how the two of them were. Angst did not fit them well.


End file.
